Robustness of Corner-Supported Modular Steel Buildings with Core Walls

This paper studies the dynamic response of corner-supported modular steel buildings with a core wall system, under progressive collapse scenarios, associated with corner module removals. Since using secondary systems such as concrete core in mid- to high-rise buildings is currently unavoidable, understanding their impact on load transfer between modules during collapse scenarios becomes essential. The designated four-, eight-, and twelve-story buildings were modelled using the macro-model-based finite element method in Abaqus. In addition, three different locations are considered for the concrete shear core within the building plan, leading to nine various case scenarios. Each vertical and horizontal inter-module connection was modelled by one axial and two shear springs with predefined nonlinear force-displacement behavior. The local and global buckling, which plays an essential role in the building’s stability, was considered to obtain accurate results. Finally, parametric studies on the building response were carried out, including the intra-module connection rigidity and inter-module connection stiffness. The results demonstrated that the core wall could maintain the robustness of a modular steel building through two mechanisms dependent on its location within the plan. In addition, preventing plastic hinges from forming in beams could be introduced as an anti-collapse mechanism in the corner module removal scenarios.

This creative work has been published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY 4.0) license which allows copying, and redistribution as well as adaptation of the original work provided appropriate credit is given to the original author and the conditions of the license are met.